Thought for May 11

 History: 

• 1752: First fire insurance policy issued in US
• 1816: American Bible Society forms
• 1910: Glacier National Park formed
• 1926: First long chat between C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien--Lewis converted 5 years later
• 1942: Faulkner's "Go Down Moses" published
• 1947: Goodrich announces development of tubeless tire
• 1949: Israel becomes member of U.N.
• 1953: Tornado kills 114 in Waco
• 1960: Adolph Eichmann captured in Buenos Aires
• 1969: Monty Python forms
• 1978: Margaret Cole is first female Marine Corps General
• 1981" "Cats" premiers
• 1987: First heart-lung transplant
• Born: Irving Berlin, Martha Graham [choreographer], Salvador Dali, Phil Silvers, Denver Pyle, Mort Sahl, Louis Farrakhan, Cam Newton, 
  
• Died: John D Rockefeller Jr., Bob Marley, Douglas Adams ["Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"], Floyd Patterson, Dottie Rambo, Jerry Stiller
• Zena Loftis was born on this day in 1881 in Gainesboro TN. Moved to Kansas at age 7 and converted at age 13. He taught a Chinese Sunday School. returned to Vanderbilt to get a pharmacy degree. He was inspired by Susie Caron Rinhart, missionary to Tibet. She stayed on the mission field despite losing her husband and child. Zena went to medical school and left for Tibet in 1908. He died after working a a medical missionary for 2 months. His story inspired others to go and the Tibetan Christian church increased until the revolt in 1932.

Thought:

Looking at some underlined verses--Acts 4:7-12 this morning. Peter had healed a man lame from birth in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. People saw this miracle and gathered around Peter and John. Peter preached a second sermon and 5000 men accepted Christ as Lord and Savior [no telling how many women and children followed].  The establishment was upset--the scribes, rulers and elders gathered. The high priest and leaders call Peter and John in the middle of the group and start asking them questions: By what power or in what name have you done this? [4:7] You may be asked this question today? Are you ready to answer? Someone may ask you how you have dealt calmly with a bad diagnosis? Or how have you not been angry about the way you have been treated or spoken about? Or how do you deal with that loss of a loved one? Or aren't you afraid about losing your job? Someone is watching you today and when you exercise faith, demonstrate love in situations that call for a different response, have hope when things look hopeless, keep your joy despite circumstances, they will ask where do you get the strength to do that? Peter and John have presented the gospel with power and people have responded. The establishment wants to know how you did that. Every time this question is asked, we have an opportunity for witness.

Notice how Peter does not respond: He doesn't say, I have a gift for preaching. He doesn't say it took a lot of hard work and practice. He doesn't say, my education gave me the ability. 

How did Peter respond. This might be a good model for us.

• Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. This means Peter was not filled with Peter, his ego, his pride, his need for human praise or acceptance. When we live in faith and in the strength that Christ supplies, we want to be filled with the Spirit. Dying to self, living for Christ. 
• Peter immediately gives all credit for the healing to Jesus. [4:10] If you are interested in how this sick man was healed--it was Jesus, and Jesus alone. Peter does not say "I." So when people ask about our moments of demonstrated faith, hope, joy, peace--our immediate response is --Jesus. 
• It is the living, resurrected, reigning Jesus who is the power. [4:10] Once we say it was Jesus name and Jesus power, we get the opportunity to tell people about this Jesus--He is the one who came from God, He is the one who died for our sins, He is the one God raised from the dead, He is the one who lives forever, He is the one who is coming again. 
• Now the exclusivity--And Jesus is the only name that has the power to save us from our sins, 

So when people ask by what name or power, we say the only name that can. He is the only name that can save, heal, comfort. He is the only name that gives hope, peace, joy, He is the only name that matters---because at His name, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ to the glory of the Father. 

Be ready like Peter--when they ask, how did you do that, we answer "Yet not I, but Christ in me." Might be a good morning to play that hymn. 

Blessings

Larry